Welcome Corps at Work: Connecting Skilled Refugees in Uganda to Jobs in the US

Are you a refugee in Uganda, looking for a fresh start where your skills are valued? Welcome Corps at Work (WCW) might be the answer.

WCW is a program that helps refugees with in-demand skills to settle in the United States by connecting them with job opportunities. The program offers a win-win situation for both refugees and employers in the US.

• Employers can address labour shortages by finding qualified refugee workers.
• Refugees can rebuild their lives with stable jobs, a pathway to U.S. citizenship.

Refugees have skills in high demand across the U.S. but face access barriers, such as limited funds, difficulty in accessing opportunities in the country of asylum, limited awareness about employment opportunities, and limited access to technology, amongst others.

At the same time, several industries in the U.S. such as education, health services and hospitality are currently experiencing significant labor shortages and face several challenges in talent acquisition.

To address these barriers, WCW offers structured and specialized support for refugees interested in pursuing labour opportunities in the U.S. and supports employers in connecting with skilled refugees while promoting private sponsors’ involvement in welcoming refugees.

WCW aligns with the UNHCR’s 2030 Roadmap, which seeks to increase third-country solutions for refugees through complementary pathways.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), in partnership with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), supports the design, implementation, and expansion of WCW.

The IRC, in its role as a Private Sponsor Organization, recruits, supports, and oversees sponsor groups as they prepare to receive and guide refugee newcomers.

How Does WCW Work?

Refugees who are eligible register themselves in the Talent Catalogue. The Talent Catalogue is a

platform where one creates a profile and gives details about their skills and work experience.

Here's a breakdown of the key steps involved.

1. Create your profile: Add your skills, education and work experience in the talent catalogue - here.

2. Job Matching: When a job is available, the job description is uploaded on the talent

Catalogue. The system provides a list of profiles that match with the job description.

3. Intake and Verification: IRC staff interview the matched candidates, and this information is

verified with the Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR before their names are shared with the employers.

4. Employer Interviews: Employers select the candidates they want to interview. IRC and TBB help prepare candidates for interviews, providing all the required support, including preparation assistance, internet access and access to a suitable location to hold a job interview.

Note: Employers follow standard hiring processes, including interviews and compliance checks, before making a firm employment offer to the successful candidate(s).

5. Job offer: Successful candidate(s) receive a job offer. IRC and TBB ensure that candidates understand the job offer as well as the employment context in the U.S. (e.g., cost of living, income tax, housing prices).

6. Resettlement: After a candidate accepts a job offer, he or she is referred to the United States Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) for resettlement. This includes rigorous security screening and vetting protocols for any entrant to the United States. Personal data collection and storage comply with IRC’s and TBB’s data protection regulations and best practices. The resettlement process usually takes 1-2 years.

7. Pre-departure orientation for refugees: WCW developed a video for refugees who will be resettled through WCW, addressing what to expect from an employer, what to do if a working relationship suffers a breakdown, how to manage relationships with private sponsors and employers, etc. This video will complement the Refugee Support Centers (RSCs) orientation. Once refugees are screened through the RSCs and receive the RSC’s Cultural Orientation (CO), IRC and TBB will provide the additional pre-departure orientation for USRAP-approved refugees.

How to create your profile in the talent catalogue

• Register with your email address and a password you will remember. To do this, click on this link. Scroll down until you see the ‘register’ button.
• The talent catalogue will then prompt you to:- Enter your basic information such as your name, age, location, gender, and others.
• Enter information about your occupation(s) (e.g. Healthcare- nursing: 3 years, Housekeeping, ICT- software engineer: 2 years). Enter as much detail as possible about your work experience and achievements. Candidates are encouraged to write the job descriptions for the various jobs they have done in as much detail as possible.
• Enter information on education and certifications
• List the languages you know and the levels of proficiency for each. For each language that you list, you will be asked to grade: how well you speak it, and how well you can read and write in the language.
• Upload your CV and any other supporting documents.
• You can always go back to your profile and update it with new certifications or work experience.

90-day free support: If you complete the USRAP procedures successfully, you'll get free help from the American people for 90 days. This includes housing, healthcare, education, and help settling into the community.

Employer Responsibilities: The primary role of the businesses or employers is to provide employment and ensure fair treatment of the staff upon arrival. Employers will assist in welcoming their new employees into their workplace and provide training opportunities and integration support. Employers might also offer other forms of financial or in-kind support. In this case, the IRC will coordinate appropriately between employers and private sector groups to deliver a complete support process.

Gender considerations: Gender – along with harmful gender roles – shapes the lives of people everywhere, including refugees as they resettle in the U.S. For refugees accessing safety in the U.S. Special attention will be placed on recruitment strategies to ensure that women-led households, and other under-represented groups, including people with disabilities, are equally referred to the program if they meet the job’s minimum criteria.

What is the cost?

Welcome Corps at Work (WCW) is FREE OF CHARGE. Do not trust anyone or any organization that asks for money to be paid to expedite the process, enroll to the catalogue or any part of the process. If you have been approached by someone, claiming they can help your case. Please inform the WCW immediately through this email [e-mail] or contact the IRC toll-free helpline 0800 113451.

Important information about fraud

• Candidates must remain honest throughout the process. Dishonesty will get a candidate disqualified.
• During the resettlement process, knowingly providing false information in an application before the U.S. government could lead to you being denied future immigration applications and may be a criminal offence under the laws of the United States.
• Registering into the talent catalogue, job matching, job interviews, Access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and its processes, being matched with a private sponsor and all other support from Welcome Corps at Work is FREE of charge and candidates will be treated fairly and equally.
• Refugees should beware of anyone who asks for money to influence or speed up processing. They are lying to you. Welcome Corps cannot help you recover money paid to access this program.
• Welcome Corps refugee applicants have the same processing requirements as all other refugee applicants in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. If someone says they can help move an application faster, this is a scam and is not true.
• Applicant identity documents belong to the applicant. Sponsors in the United States do not have the right to take or keep refugees’ documents.
• Only the U.S. government determines if an applicant is a refugee. Sponsors cannot send refugees back to their countries of origin or cancel their cases with the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
• The Welcome Corps at Work Program at IRC Uganda will only contact refugees through the email [e-mail].

To learn more about the program, visit www.welcomecorps.org or visit the Livelihoods Resource Center (LRC) in Nsambya, Kampala every Tuesday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

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